Digital Senders, such as the HP 9100C Digital Sender, are available in the prior art. Typically, digital senders are xe2x80x9cappliance devicesxe2x80x9d that are self-contained (i.e., they do not require a PC in order to operate). Generally, digital senders allow users to integrate paper documents into the electronic workplace, providing a reliable and cost-effective alternative to typical paper distribution systems, such as facsimile (fax), mail, and courier. A digital sender typically allows a user the ability to send information or data contained on a paper document to a destination electronically. Thus, a digital sender typically is capable of converting paper documents into digital form and communicating the digital document to a destination. For example, a digital sender may allow a user to send a digital version of a paper document to a destination e-mail address or destination fax number. As a further example, the HP 9100C allows a user to send a digital document to an e-mail address, network fax, HP JetSend-enabled device, network printer or personal computer.
Typically, prior art digital senders include a typewriter-like keyboard that allows users to manually enter destination information at the device. Similar to sending e-mail from a PC, a digital sender may enable users to type e-mail addresses or to cue personalized e-mail addresses or distribution lists from a customized address book stored in the digital sender""s memory, thus allowing users to send paper-based documents as e-mail messages. Furthermore, a digital sender may enable users to type a destination fax number or to cue a destination fax number from a customized address book stored in the digital sender""s memory, thus allowing users to send paper-based documents as a fax.
Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary digital sender 100 of the prior art is shown. As shown, the digital sender 100 has a display 102 for displaying information to a user. Additionally, the digital sender 100 has a keyboard 104 that allows a user to manually enter information, such as destination information. Typically, as a user enters destination information using keyboard 104 the destination information is displayed on display 102 to allow the user to ensure that he/she has entered the destination information correctly. That is, display 102 allows the user to view the destination information as the user types such destination information into the digital sender. Once the desired destination information is entered into the digital sender, the digital sender allows a user to send a digital version of paper document(s) 106 to the destination.
Prior art digital senders typically allow users the ability to program commonly used destination information (e.g., commonly used destination fax numbers or commonly used destination e-mail addresses), also referred to herein as a destination code, into the digital sender""s memory for future use. By having destination codes programmed into the digital sender, a user can access a programmed destination code on the digital sender and cause the digital sender to direct communication to such programmed destination code without requiring the user to manually key the destination code. For example, the user may look up a desired destination code from the destination codes programmed in the digital sender, and then press a single key to xe2x80x9cspeed dialxe2x80x9d the desired destination code.
Typically, a destination code is programmed into the digital sender by a user pressing a key (or sequence of keys) on the digital sender to enter a xe2x80x9cprogramming mode.xe2x80x9d Thereafter, the user can manually key in the destination code using the digital sender""s keyboard. Once the user has completed the process of entering the destination code, the user can press a key (or sequence of keys) to cause the digital sender to exit the programming mode. If the entered destination code later changes or otherwise needs to be updated by a user, the user follows a similar procedure to update an existing destination code stored in the digital sender""s memory. Thus, prior art digital senders provide users the ability to manually program commonly used destination codes into the digital sender.
Several problems exist with prior art digital senders. First, with prior art digital senders, a user is required to know a destination code in order to enter or program such code into the digital sender. For example, if a user desires to enter or program a particular destination e-mail address or destination fax number into the digital sender, the user must first determine the proper destination e-mail address or fax number to be keyed into the digital sender. Accordingly, a user must either have the destination code memorized or the user must refer to some type of destination code book, such as a telephone directory or other listing for the destination code, before the user can enter or program the destination code into the digital sender.
Additionally, the process required for programming a destination code into prior art digital senders is not user friendly. Prior art digital senders typically require a user to press a sequence of keys on the digital sender to enter the programming mode, and once the digital sender is in programming mode, a user must follow a particular sequence of instructions to program a desired destination code into the digital sender. As shown in FIG. 1, prior art digital senders typically have a typewriter-like keyboard, as well as various other buttons for interacting with the digital sender. Thus, to a novice user, programming a destination code into the digital sender can be an intimidating task. Because prior art digital senders are not user friendly to program, users may spend relatively long periods of time attempting to program a destination code into a digital sender or learning how to perform such task. Thus, programming prior art digital senders can be inefficient for users. Alternatively, some users may simply not take advantage of the programming feature of prior art digital senders. That is, the task of programming prior art digital senders may be so intimidating to a user that the user decides not to program commonly used destination codes into the digital sender. As a result, the user must manually enter a destination code each time that the user desires to communicate a digital document to that destination, which also results in inefficiency for the user.
A further problem with prior art digital senders is that a mechanism is required for such digital senders to allow a user to manually program destination information into the digital senders. For example, a keyboard, such as keyboard 104, is required for manual programming of destination information into the digital sender. As another example, a display, such as display 102, is required to provide feedback information to a user, e.g., to indicate whether the user has entered the destination information correctly. Such mechanisms required for manually programming prior art digital senders increase the size, complexity, and cost of the digital senders. It should be recognized, that some or all of the above problems are not limited only to prior art digital senders, but also apply to other digital communication devices that communicate information to a destination, such as prior art fax machines.
In view of the above, there exists a desire for a system and method for providing caller information (i.e., a fax number, telephone number, e-mail address, or other destination information) to a digital communication device. Many digital communication devices exist, such as digital senders and fax machines, which communicate data to a destination. A desire exists for a system and method for providing caller information to such digital communication devices in order that the digital communication devices can communicate data to a destination indicated by the provided caller information.
A further desire exists for a system and method for providing caller information to a digital communication device, wherein a user is not required to know the caller information. Accordingly, a desire exists for a system and method that do not require a user to memorize caller information or look up the caller information in a directory, such as a telephone directory. Still a further desire exists for a system and method for providing caller information to a digital communication device, wherein a user is not required to manually enter and/or manually program the caller information into the digital communication device. Thus, a desire exists for a system and method that are user friendly and allow a user to easily enter and/or program caller information into the digital communication device.
These and other objects, features and technical advantages are achieved by a system and method which utilizes caller ID technology to automatically capture caller information and communicate such information to a digital communication device. Caller information, such as a telephone number, fax number, and/or name, is available digitally through well-known automatic number identification (ANI) techniques (i.e., caller ID). A preferred embodiment of the present invention utilizes a caller ID device to automatically capture caller information. Thereafter, the caller ID device can communicate such caller information to a digital communication device. Such digital communication device is capable of communicating digital information to a destination indicated by the caller information, in a preferred embodiment. In a most preferred embodiment, the digital communication device is a digital sender. Although, in other embodiments the digital communication device may be any type of digital communication device, such as a fax machine or a personal computer (PC). In a most preferred embodiment, the digital communication device is an xe2x80x9cappliance device.xe2x80x9d An xe2x80x9cappliance devicexe2x80x9d is a device that is capable of operating to perform a particular task(s) without requiring a PC for such operation. Examples of typical xe2x80x9cappliance devicesxe2x80x9d include digital senders and fax machines. However, in other embodiments the digital communication device may be a device that operates in conjunction with a PC or may actually be a PC.
In a preferred embodiment, the caller information communicated from the caller ID device to the digital communication device can be automatically programmed into the digital communication device""s memory, whereby a user is not burdened with the task of manually programming such caller information into the digital sender. For example, the caller ID device may have an input mechanism (e.g., a button) that allows a user to command the caller ID device to communicate selected caller information to the digital sender to be automatically programmed into the digital sender""s memory. Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, the caller ID device can activate the digital communication device to communicate data to a destination indicated by the communicated caller information. In a preferred embodiment, the caller ID device may activate the digital communication device to communicate data to the destination indicated by the caller information without requiring that the communicated caller information be programmed into the digital communication device""s memory. Thus, for example, the caller ID device may have an input mechanism (e.g., a button) that allows a user to command the caller ID device to communicate selected caller information to the digital sender and to activate the digital sender to communicate data to the destination indicated by the caller information, without necessarily programming the communicated caller information into the digital communication device""s memory.
Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the caller ID device communicates control signals to the digital communication device to control how the digital communication device responds upon receiving the caller information from the caller ID device. For example, the caller ID device can communicate a control signal that instructs the digital communication device to communicate digital information to a destination indicated by the received caller information. As another example, the caller ID device can communicate a control signal that instructs the digital communication device to program the received caller information into the digital communication device""s memory.
In a preferred embodiment, the caller ID device is capable of capturing caller information from a received inbound call. Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, the caller ID device is capable of capturing caller information from a placed outbound call. In a preferred embodiment, the caller ID device is an external device that is coupled serially to the digital communication device and a communication network, such as a public or private switched telephony network. However, in alternative embodiments, the caller ID device can be integrated within the digital communication device.
It should be appreciated that a technical advantage of one aspect of the present invention is that a system and method for automatically capturing caller information and communicating such caller information to a digital communication device are provided. Accordingly, a user is not required to know caller information that has been captured. Additionally, a user is not required to manually enter such captured caller information into the digital communication device in order for the digital communication device to communicate data to a destination indicated by the caller information.
Further, a technical advantage of one aspect of the present invention is that control signals can be communicated from the caller ID device to the digital communication device to control how the digital communication device responds upon receiving the caller information from the caller ID device. Accordingly, the digital communication device may be automatically activated to communicate data to the destination indicated by the caller information received by the digital communication device from the caller ID device. Also, the digital communication device may automatically program the caller information received from the caller ID device into the digital communication device""s memory for future use (e.g., for xe2x80x9cspeed dialingxe2x80x9d). Thus, a user may not be required to manually enter destination information for communicating data from the digital communication device. Moreover, a user is not required to be burdened with manually programming the captured caller information into the digital communication device""s memory.
Additionally, a technical advantage of one aspect of the present invention is that a digital communication device is not required to include input mechanisms for manually entering and/or programming caller information into the device. Thus, the keyboard, display, and other mechanisms typically required on a digital communication device to allow a user to manually enter and/or program information into the device may be reduced or eliminated. Although, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, such mechanisms remain on the digital communication device to allow a user the option of manually entering and/or programming caller information into the device, such as caller information that has not been captured by the caller ID device.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.